The prevalence of sexual contact between british clinical psychologists and their patients

✍ Scribed by Tanya Garrett; John D. Davis

• Book ID: 101277094
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 114 KB
• Volume: 5
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1063-3995
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-0879(199812)5:4<253::aid-cpp171>3.0.co;2-4

✦ Synopsis

The first British empirical study of therapist±patient sexual contact is described. In a national random survey of 1000 clinical psychologists with 581 usable responses, 3.5% of respondents reported having had sexual contact with patients either in the course of therapy or following discharge. Almost a quarter reported that they had treated patients who had been sexually involved with previous therapists, and almost twofifths said they knew (through sources other than patients) of other clinical psychologists who had had sexual contact with patients. A number of variables were associated with breach of sexual boundaries. Logistic regression analysis revealed that three of these, homosexual orientation, sexual involvement with educators during postgraduate training, and longer post-qualification professional experience, were significant predictors of sexual contact with patients.